The present invention is particularly applicable for use in connection with semi-automatic handguns, which are used for tactical applications, and, therefore, the invention will be described with particular reference to tactical semi-automatic handguns. However, the invention has broader applications and may be used with any type of handgun and other firearms.
It is, of course, well known that a sight is necessary to accurately aim the barrel of a firearm that is being fired. It is also well known, proven and taught in tactical training, that use of any firearm in tactical applications necessitates quick threat or target acquisition and quick sight alignment. Furthermore, quick threat or target acquisition and quick sight alignment are also important when moving the firearm from a first target to a second target. It should be appreciated that in tactical situations, when lives are at stake, minimizing the time necessary to obtain a target or threat and align the sights are critical.
Traditional rear sights are typically square, boxy and include sharp corners. As a result, when utilizing a traditional rear sight, due to it's large top edge, the user's eye must search along that large top edge of the sight blade to locate the front sight. This lengthens time necessary to locate the front sight. In addition, the large rectangular rear portion of prior art gun sights acts as an obstruction, which reduces the ability to see the threat about the peripheral portions of the sight. When handguns are fired, typically at an arm's length from the user, a large bulky rear sight reduces the ability to fully see the target, especially when it is small and/or distant or when the user needs to distinguish if the threat is armed. In this respect, large boxy rear sight configurations may make it necessary for the user to actually lower the handgun so that the user can see over the top of the sights for target acquisition and then raise the handgun to align the sights. This, in addition to the user searching a large top edge of the sight to locate the front sight, takes significant time under tactical, life threatening circumstances and therefore disadvantageously increases the time necessary for target acquisition and sight alignment. Prior art gun sights also include eye distracting configurations and textures on the rear facing surface of the sight which produces time consuming distractions to the user's eye. In this respect, sharply square outer corners have a tendency to draw the user's eye to the corners of the gun sight, momentarily distracting the user, while the user is attempting to locate the front sight and align it in the notch of the rear sight. Textures and other configurations or contours on the rear surface of the sight have a similar effect. While some prior art sights such as Swenson, utilize textures to reduce glare, the textures tend to produce an eye distraction, disadvantageously increasing the threat acquisition time and sight alignment time.
The notch of the rear sight is used to define the boundaries of a sight line, which in connection with the front sight, allows the user to properly align the barrel towards the target. Prior art notches fall in two general categories, namely, semi-circular notches and rectangular notches. Semi-circular notches are difficult to align since there are no sidewalls to reference against the sides of the front sight. The sidewalls of the rear notch are used as parallel references to the sides of the front sight to ensure that the handgun's barrel is properly aligned from left to right. This is done by having an equal open space between the left side edge of the front sight to the left side edge of the rear notch wall as between the right side edge of the front sight to the right side edge of the rear notch wall. With a semi-circle, proper alignment is not easily definable, since the front sight is referenced, to merely a portion of a round shape. However, while prior art rectangular notches provide better reference based on the side edges, it has also been found that square corners at the bottom of the notch detract the user's eye in that the eye is drawn to the sharp corners. As stated above, sharp corners momentarily distract the user eye, while the user is attempting to locate the front sight. This same distraction comes from looking through a notch with sharp bottom corners. Another problem with the prior art sight relates to the length of the notch. Notches which have a long length produce more of an obstruction to the sight line which increases the amount of time necessary for target acquisition and for finding the front sight. Turning to the width of the notch, rear notches which are substantially wider than the width of the front sight make it difficult to center the front sight within the notch which also adds to the time necessary for target acquisition.
Another aspect of tactical gun sights relates to the fact that these sights are often used in many different types of adverse conditions and situations. With respect to adverse conditions, while target or threat acquisition is important, the tactical gun sight must also be designed to withstand the harsh conditions in which the firearms are often used. More particularly, tactical handguns are designed for use by military and law enforcement personnel and other individuals in the field. This involves transporting the firearm and using the firearm over many uncertain terrains and in connection with many uncertain obstacles. Further, due to the adverse conditions, the firearm can be dropped and/or be engaged against the terrain and/or obstacles. As a result, the gun sight must be robust and accurately tied to the slide mechanism of the handgun to maintain accuracy.